Hat gauge



June 12, 1962 P. M. MASSAD 3,038,260

HAT GAUGE Filed July 15, 1959 INVENTOR PHILIP M. MASSAD ATTORNEY nited States This invention relates to new and improved gauges for hats, and the principal object of the invention resides in the provision of a relatively simplified, very easily used and operated gauge for hats and other headgear by which means an inspector for instance may quickly and accurately gauge the size of a hat, cap or any other headgear.

Further objects of the invention include the provision of a simplified and faster operable hat gauge which comprises a pair of relatively slidable members which are normally maintained in separated condition by means of a resilient member bearing thereon, said members each being provided with a convex outer surface to abut the forward and rear portions of the hat, and each member being provided with handgrip means by which the members may be brought together sufficiently for the same to be placed within the hat in the area of the hatband or the like. Merely upon removing the fingers from the two manually operable grips, the novel gauge immediately assumes the hat size by abutting the fore and aft portions of the headband thereof, and there are provided accurate gauging means on said members cooperating with each other whereby the inspector may see at a glance the exact size of the hat within a very small and allowable error as to the circumference of the hat.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating the new gauge;

FIG. 2 is a view in end elevation thereof;

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation thereof, looking in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show modifications of the spring structure.

In carrying out the present invention, there are provided a pair of semicircular members which are indicated generally at 10 and 12. Each of these members is provided with a depending flange 14 and 16, these flanges being semicircular and lying at the corresponding opposite edges of the two members 10 and 12. Members 10 and 12 are arranged with their square edges 18 and facing each other, so that the flanges 14 and 16 together provide in general a circle or similar geometrical shape if the edges 18 and 20 were to be aligned or in contact with each other.

The members 10 and 12 may be made of some suitable material such as aluminum and preferably both the flanges and the top flat surfaces of the members are continuous and solid although this is not necessary to the carrying out of the invention.

At the under side of each member 10 and 12, there is provided a guide rod and these are indicated at 22 and 24 respectively. Each guide rod 22, 24 is suitably mounted in a boss or the like 26, 28 and it will be seen that the rods 22 and 24 extend toward the opposite member from which they are mounted. These rods extend telescopically and slidably into tubular members indicated at 30 and 32 respectively. These tubular members are mounted in corresponding bosses or the like which are indicated at 34 and 36 respectively. Suitable pins or other means may be utilized for securing the various members in accompanying drawings,

atent position but the general effect is that the two semicircular members 10 and 12 will be arranged as in FIG. 1 and may be moved toward and away from each other.

In FIG. 1 the members are shown at their separated positions. Suitable stop means are provided such as adjustable collars or the like 38 which may be secured to the respective rods 22 and 24 by means of setscrews or the like. Furthermore, suitable stop means such as sleeves 40 may be utilized in order to prevent extraction of rods 22 and 24 from the corresponding tubular guide members 30 and 32.

Each member 10 and 12 is provided with an upstanding manual grip i2 and 44 whereby the two members 10 and 12 may be quickly moved toward each other sufliciently to insert the entire gauge inside of the hat in the area of the hatband and suitable spring means is provided for automatically separating these members when the grips 42 and 44 are released so as to conform to the size of the hat by reason of the impingement of flanges 14 and 16 in the front and rear of the hatband.

This spring construction may take any form desired as long as it continually urges the two members 10 and 12 apart. As shown in FIG. 1, this spring means may comprise the large wire loops at 46 and 48 which tend to spread against its own inherent resilience when the handgrips 42 and 44 are manipulated to cause the members to approach each other as in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 1. These springs may be mounted on bosses 56.

However, the spring construction may be of any other kind such as the coil springs at 50 and 52 in FIG. 6 and these coil springs may be conveniently mounted upon the rods and the sleeves as shown in this figure. Also, however, a single contour spring 54 as shown in FIG. 7 might be used and in this case the ends of the wire may be mounted on studs or bosses similar to those at 56. In cases where more resilient power is needed, a double spring such as at 58 may be used as in FIG. 8.

Furthermore, detachable legs such as at 60 and 62 may be utilized particularly for positioning the gauge in the hat. By the use of legs such as 60 an ordinary hat may be measured depending upon the height of the crown but in cases where caps are to be measured, it is preferred to use the double sets of legs 60 and the shorter legs 62, the legs 60 being placed at the forward portion of the cap because the visor end is deeper than the rearward portion thereof. However, these legs are easily removed if it is not desired to use them and they may be screw threaded if desired into suitable bosses therefor such as the bosses at 64, 66.

Adjustably associated with one of the members is a pointer which is indicated at 68. This pointer is preferably provided with a T-head terminal gauging portion and it is adjustably mounted in a boss 72 by means of a setscrew or the like 74.

cooperatively associated with this pointer and especially the T crosshead 70 thereof, there is a scale plate which is indicated at 76. This scale plate is mounted on member 12 where the pointer 68 is mounted on member 10. This scale plate is marked as shown, it being preferred that the quarter sizes should be indicated at one side of the scale and the eighth sizes at the other in order to make the reading clearer and easier, and it will be seen that by the use of the crosshead 70, the scale may be read at either side thereof quickly, easily, and directly in hat sizes.

This invention provides a very simple and easily manipulated hat gauge by which means hats may be sized or inspected with a far greater rapidity than anything in the prior art. The sizes are direct reading and by the use of this device it has been found that accuracy is maintained within a small plus o r rinus error as to the circumference of the hatband, and this error is so small as to be completely acceptable in the art.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

A headgear gauge comprising a pair of generally semicircular members having their convex edges facing away from each other and being slidably mounted relatively to each other, inter-engaging guiding means on and between said members, resilient means normally urging said members apart, a handgrip on each member for onehanded operation urging the same toward each other for placement of the gauge, said resilient means causing the members to engage automatically the headband of the headgear at the forward and rear portions thereof, a scale on one member, a pointer on the other member operatively associated therewith to indicate the degree of separation of the members and thus the size of the headgear, removable legs on said members, said legs positioning the gauge in the headgear, relative to the headband thereof, and a semicircular flange on each member, said flanges engaging the headband of the headgear.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,235,785 Fishel Aug. 7, 1917 1,625,462 Frauenthal Apr. 19, 1927 2,024,021 Aldeborgh et a1. Dec. 10, 1935 2,577,167 Vlasis Dec. 4, 1951 2,643,461 Wiebe June 30, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 931,007 Germany July 28, 1955 

